Column: Don’t like what you’re seeing in IUSA? Change it.

IUSA’s constitution includes a provision that allows the student body to propose constitutional amendments via a petition with 10 percent of the student body’s signatures.

 It would take less than 4,300 signatures to accomplish this goal, according to IU’s enrollment report for fall.

Here are some amendments I suggest would be the most beneficial.

LIMITING OVERHEAD COSTS TO LESS THAN 50 PERCENT

Currently, overhead costs are 73 percent of IUSA’s approximately $98,000 Operating Budget. Think about that: nearly two-thirds of the money that all students are required
to pay to IUSA goes directly back into IUSA itself.

There is no reason why IUSA can’t operate with overhead costs at 50 percent or less.

This would free up thousands of dollars of students’ money to go to programs that benefit the student body instead of spending our money on executives’ smart phones, A parking passes and travelling fees.

LIMITING EXECUTIVE SALARIES TO LESS THAN 15 PERCENT

Right now, IUSA spends 22 percent of our money in the Operating Budget on their own executives’ salaries.

It’s understandable that executives should receive some compensation for their work, but when executives are only required to spend less than 10 hours in their offices each week, it seems entirely reasonable to limit the amount of compensation they receive.

ONLY ELECTED CANDIDATES MAY BE COMPENSATED

On the other hand, it does not make sense to compensate administration officials who are not elected and thus not accountable to the student body that they serve — such as the current chief of staff, who is receiving a salary for the first time in IUSA’s history.

Un-elected officials should under no circumstances receive a salary for work for which the student body has no control.

INCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY OF RECALLING CANDIDATES

If an IUSA administration isn’t doing a good job, the student body should have the ability to fire them.

We do not think the current administration merits being fired, but we do think that having some way for the public to directly recall their IUSA executives and congressional representatives makes more than good sense.

It’s simply good policy. If 10 percent of the student body signs a petition recalling one (or more) of the members of the executive branch, then a recall election should automatically be called, which would present the student body with two options: fire them or keep them in office.